Federal authorities have indicted 13 former and current law enforcement officers on drug conspiracy charges following an undercover operation by the FBI in North Carolina.

A Department of Justice news release Thursday says that while the suspects thought that they were participating in a large-scale drug trafficking operation it was really an FBI sting.

Advertisement

In all, 15 people were charged. The law enforcement officers included correctional officers, sheriff's deputies, a police officer and a dispatcher.

All of the defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances and conspiring to use and carry firearms in drug trafficking. Some also face other charges including attempted extortion and bribery.

The case was investigated by the FBI and North Carolina Department of Public Safety with help from the Halifax County Sheriff's Office.